Oxytocin was one of the first peptide hormones to be isolated and sequenced. It is a nonapeptide with two cysteine residues that form a disulfide bridge between positions 1 and 6 and corresponds to the formula

For a long time the only effects attributed to oxytocin were its stimulating effects on milk ejection and uterine contractions, but in the past decades it has been shown that oxytocin exerts a wide spectrum of effects within the central nervous system, CNS. It has been suggested that oxytocin participates in the control of memory and learning processes and of various types of behaviour such as feeding, locomotion, as well as maternal and sexual behaviour. Oxytocin is also suggested to participate in the control of cardiovascular functions, thermoregulation, and pain threshold and fluid balance. There is also evidence that oxytocin is involved in the control of various immunological processes. It has recently been demonstrated that oxytocin injections cause a lowering of blood pressure and increased weight gain—long lasting effects after repetitive administration. As a central stimulating substance oxytocin plays an important role in the interaction between mother and progeny in mammals. The products may also be used prophylactic in young human beings e.g. already in new born babies or young children to prevent the development of diseases later on in life which diseases are dependent on stress conditions during the fetal life. Such conditions may be heart/vessel diseases such as stroke, heart infarct, hypertension, and diabetes.
In the human body oxytocin is produced in the paraventricular nucleus, PVN, and the supraoptic nucleus, SON, of the hypothalamus. It differs by only two amino acids from vasopressin, which is also produced in these nuclei. The magnocellular oxytocinergic neurones of the SON and PVN send oxons to the posterior pituitary from which oxytocin is released into the circulation. Parvocellular neurones that originate in the PVN project into multiple areas within CNS. The oxytocin-producing cells are innervated by cholinergic, catecholaminergic as well as peptidergic neurones. The presence of oxytocin in different tissues outside the brain, such as the uterus, ovaries, testis, thymus, adrenal medulla and pancreas has been demonstrated and oxytocin is suggested to exert local effects in these organs.
A parallel secretion of oxytocin into the brain regions and into the circulation occurs in response to some stimuli such as suckling, but other stimuli can cause separate activation of oxytocinergic neurones, terminating in the brain or the pituitary.
It has now turned out that oxytocin has a relieving effect on cancer in situ and cervicitis.
There are several oxytocin derivatives, i.e. compounds with a structure similar to that of oxytocin. There are preliminary indications that other oxytocin derivatives than oxytocin could give the effects against cancer in situ and cervicitis as well as parts of the oxytocin molecule. No publications describe the use of oxytocin or any other oxytocin derivatives or parts of the oxytocin molecule to have effects against cancer in situ and cervicitis.
By the expression “cancer in situ and cervicitis” we understand consequences of diseases in vagina and cervix originating from infections, as well as inflammations. In the context of the invention, cancer in situ is related to the cervix. Such diseases include, besides cancer in situ and cervicitis, also precancerous disease states, squamous cell carcinoma, and koilocytosis. By cancer in situ is meant a neoplastic entity wherein the tumour cells are confined to the epithelium of origin, without invasion of the basement membrane. By cervicitis is meant inflammation of the cervix uteri i e the lower and narrow end of the uterus, between the isthmus and the ostium uteri. The epithelium of the cervix uteri is quite different from the epithelium of the rest of the uterus. Koilocytosis is a consequence of herpes virus.
Bussolati et al., Cancer Research, Volume 61, June 2001, p. 4393–4397, describes that oxytocin derivatives may have effects against OTR-positive tumours, such as breast and endometrial carcinomas, neuroblastomas, and glioblastomas. Furthermore, Cassoni et al., Journal of Pathology, Volume 190, 2000, p. 470–477, describes that oxytocin reduces cell proliferation in breast cancer cells, in neural neoplastic cells, as well as in a human endometrial carcinoma cell line. However, these documents relate to the treatment of advanced cancer forms, whereas the present invention relates to the treatment of cancer at a very early stage, e g precancerous disease states as mentioned above. The effects of oxytocin derivatives against such an early cancer are most probably due to antioxidant effects of oxytocin or metabolites thereof such as cysteine and N-acetylcysteine. In van Zandwijk et al., J Cell Biochem Suppl 1995, Vol. 22, p. 24–32, it is stated that the antimutagenic and anticarcinogenic effects of N-acetylcysteine could be ascribed to e g the antioxidant activity thereof.
It has now turned out that oxytocin improves recovery of cancer in situ and cervicitis (Example 1). This example indicates that oxytocin or that substances with oxytocin activity may be used against cancer in situ and cervicitis. However, it should be noted that it is not necessary that the patients treated according to Example 1 have postmenopausal disorders before treatment.
The effect of oxytocin can be extended or strengthened by administration in combination with drugs increasing the release of oxytocin and/or the number or the affinity of oxytocin receptors. One such drug is oestrogen. The effect of oxytocin can also be extended or strengthened by administration in combination with drugs having an α2-agonistic effect. One such drug is clonidine.